Affording a Family: The two-income shift

On this episode of "Deseret Voices," professor Brad Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and senior fellow of the Institute for Family Studies, addresses the growing affordability crisis threatening the American dream and the American Family. In a recent article written for the Deseret News, he dissects research on the crisis and discusses how public policy should be both reducing the cost of raising children and lending greater material support to families. 

Where once a single-earner family could afford a home, transportation, education, healthcare, and a certain quality of life, as the cost of living soars, dual-income households are struggling to even make ends meet. In a world where income inequality and generational priorities have widened into an insurmountable chasm, what can and should be done on a governmental policy level to ease the economic burden on the family unit before it becomes obsolete? 

Wilcox joins journalist Jane Clayson Johnson to discuss the real research, consequences, and potential solutions to the growing and costly crisis. 

Deseret Voices is hosted by award-winning journalists McKay Coppins and Jane Clayson Johnson, who go beyond the headlines to explore the stories, people, and ideas shaping our world today. Through thoughtful, in-depth conversations, the Deseret Voices podcast brings clarity and common ground to the complex issues defining our time. 

Deseret Voices is a Deseret News podcast, produced by Keira Farrimond, Creative Director - Video & Podcasts.

Episodes of Deseret Voices drop every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts. Follow along and join the conversation on YouTube (@deseretnews), Instagram (@deseretnews), Facebook (@deseretnews) and X (@deseret).